


The Morning After

by aluminumheart



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Other, get ready for some SAP, i can't hurt like that, i'm way too kind for the difficulty of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-09 22:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10422846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aluminumheart/pseuds/aluminumheart
Summary: What happens when Peter wakes up alone?get ready for some angst, my kiddos





	

**Author's Note:**

> follow me @aluminumheart for more suffering and ofc some fluff

Peter Nureyev never thought that he would live to see his twentieth birthday. He knew that, somewhere deep within him, there was a fear that he wouldn’t die that soon and would be alone for the rest of his days. He knew that his heart drummed against his chest when he thought about death, but he also knew that he could not bear to live with himself if he took his own life. For most of his young life, Peter was alone.

When Peter first met Mag, he was overjoyed, though it came with his own sets of guards. Nothing was free in this universe, and despite his wishes that Mag could be something close to family, it didn’t last. Nothing ever did. For some reason, after Mag, blood wasn’t too hard to look at anymore.

Rather than open himself back up to pain, Peter decided to kill off any need to be with others, to drown it out in crowded bars and under bedsheets. He was a charmer and knew how to speak to others, but Peter felt like the hole in his heart was slowly tearing more and more, interrupting his ability to live life normally. But hey, at least he lived past twenty.

Getting into Dark Matters was easy -- if there was one thing Peter could pull off, it was the color black. It was only a matter of time before he was assigned to investigate the murder of Croesus Kanagawa, and by extension, Grimm’s Mask. Peter was right where he needed to be, and all he needed to do was send a few well-placed smirks and even more well-placed pickup lines. The mask -- as well as anyone’s heart -- was going to be easy to steal. Peter didn’t toss it around lightly, but he considered it as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Of course, that was before he met Juno Steel.

*

Lying in bed, Peter didn’t want to open his eyes. He knew that if he did, he would have to accept that he was alone. He didn’t want to know that Juno Steel had left in the middle of the night, even though he saw it coming from a mile away. He saw it coming, so why did he let it happen? How did he know from the very moment he walked in, seeing the detective halfway out the window, that Juno Steel would be the one who made him feel again? How did he know that the light in Juno’s eyes would be something that reminded him of Mag, of an adopted father he once grew to love?

How did Juno Steel tear down all of the walls around Peter’s heart?

After what felt like hours, Peter peeked at the morning light filtering through the curtains, at the empty room he occupied. Juno Steel had a very distinguishable cologne, a mixture of pine and ash, and Peter could still smell it on the pillow beside him. For a few moments, Peter considered picking up the hotel phone and calling Juno’s office, wanting to demand answers. They were going to be together, damn it, and after everything he went through, Peter deserved one moment of happiness. He thought that Juno had loved him enough to leave, but Peter was well aware of how a city could engulf a person.

Sitting up, Peter rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. It solemnly informed him that his trip out of Mars was departing in an hour, that he would need to get out of Juno Steel’s life or change his to be with who could be the love of his existence. What was he to do? He knew that what he felt was love, something that he couldn’t replicate the way he tried to fill the hole in his heart last time. No, what Juno Steel did to him was more than just a simple hole in his heart -- he took the whole goddamn thing with him as he left.

Peter hesitantly picked up the phone, dialing the office number for Juno Steel, not sure of what to say or even what he wanted. Nevertheless, the phone rang once… twice… thr --

“Mistah Steel, is that you?”

It was Rita, his assistant, answering the phone. She sounded worried, almost afraid. Peter knew a little too well how Juno Steel made people feel.

“Hello, Rita,” he choked out, his voice quivering a bit as he got the words out. This was unlike him, so much so that he felt unsure of what he was going to say. “I was calling in hopes that Juno was around, but as that isn’t the case --”

“Wait! I recognize your voice! Mistah Glas --”

“I’m sorry, but I really must go now --”

“He’s been tryna get ahold of you all mornin’, Mistah Glass!”

Peter paused, unsure of how to respond. Of course he knew that Juno Steel would be rejecting him -- if he was going to be with Peter, wouldn’t he just come back to the apartment? “I have to say, he’s already said eno --”

A voice stopped Peter in his tracks. “What were you saying, Nureyev?”

Rita gasped from the other end, beginning to beg, “Rex, keep me on the line! I want to hear what Mistah Steel has to say!”

“I’m going to have to let you go,” Peter said, Rita’s groan filling his ear as his eyes were taking in Juno’s haggard frame. He was covered in dust (one of the worst things about Mars in Peter’s honest opinion), a slight smirk on his face, and a beautiful light in his eye. God, even when he was falling apart, Juno Steel blew him away.

Peter’s hand fumbled as he tried put the phone back into its cradle, trying to keep his eyes on Juno. The phone ended up falling onto the floor, and Juno’s smirk widened. “Something wrong? I picked up breakfast.” In his hand was a crumpled up paper bag, stained with grease and creases that came with fist clenching. Peter looked closer at Juno’s fist, noticing that it was white and trembling. Juno, noticing this invasion, set the food onto a nearby table and tucked his hands into his dirty jacket.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, Juno,” Peter told him, though he really hoped that the detective would stay. It was a strange feeling, one that Peter had adjusted to the absence of, but hoping for Juno made him feel better than anything else.

Juno laughed through his nose, a slight smile accenting his lips. “This is my home, Peter. You know I have to stay in Hyperion City.” Just like that, Peter began to drop his head. Why would he even think to hope for Juno’s love? He was such a -- “I would really appreciate if we could make it our home, though.”

There was a beat of silence, and before Juno could say something else, Peter was storming across the room, pulling Juno into him for a long kiss. “Next time, you could let me know where you’re heading before you disappear.”

Juno grinned, the crooked sort of smile that Peter knew would always make his heart flutter. “Don’t worry, Nureyev. The universe seems to keep us from straying too far from each other.” Peter couldn’t keep the smile off his face, even as he kissed Juno over and over, throughout the morning over a cooling plate of pancakes. In an odd way, Juno had a point. They were bound to each other, meant to orbit like stars until their eventual stellar collision, hopefully creating something bigger and better.

*

Peter Nureyev never thought he would live to see his twentieth birthday, yet here he was, celebrating something in his thirties with the love of his life and the friends they made along the way. He never thought having friends would even be an option for him. As he looked around, memorizing the smiling faces of those he grew to care for, Juno leaned into his line of sight. Oddly enough, both of them have never looked younger. Perhaps it was finally being able to get a full night of sleep together, but Juno appeared alert and genuinely happy, a smile replacing the sardonic smirks he used to wear.

“Ready to blow the candles, Steel?” Peter laughed, still a bit surprised to hear his new last name -- the last name he’d take.

“Of course, but only if you sing for me.” Juno raised an eyebrow as Mick and Rita began to burst into song, making both the thief and his detective smile. “I love you, Juno.”

“No time for the sap, Steel. There’s a bottle of whiskey with my name on it.” Peter leaned in, blowing out his birthday candles before turning to Juno, pulling him into a kiss. “I love you, too, by the way,” Juno said against Peter’s lips, and Peter felt his heart flutter. He never thought he would feel genuine happiness, let alone the overwhelming love in his heart.

Of course, that was before he met Juno Steel.

**Author's Note:**

> also i can't do angst at all so i'm sorry


End file.
